Stella De Bono tucks into Christmas lunch at the Church of Christ Community yesterday.
Stella De Bono came to New Zealand 50 years ago because her home in Malta was too crowded.
Ironically, she had Christmas dinner at the Church of Christ Community yesterday because home was too deserted.
The 80-plus-year-old said she brought her twin sons to New Zealand to create ''a better path'' for them.
Malta covers just over 316sq km, making it one of the world's smallest states, and because it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, she had worried for her sons' future.
She said Christmas this year was quieter than previous years because her sons and their families were out of town.
''I'm on my own today. So I came here for dinner.
''It's a good lunch and very good company.''
The Rev Dave Brown said more than 270 people attended the annual Christmas Day dinner, for various reasons.
This year, they had enjoyed roast lamb, ham, vegetables, pavlova, fruit salad and cream, and plum pudding and custard, served by Church of Christ Community volunteers and members of the Dunedin City and St Kilda Fire Brigades.
